ComEd officials told the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) the company is prepared to meet customer demand this summer. The Northern Illinois utility will complete 384 summer critical projects to bolster reliability and system capacity ahead of the coming summer.

"ComEd is committed to providing safe and reliable service throughout the year, and we are prepared to meet the challenges posed by the summer heat," said John Costello, executive vice president and chief operating officer, ComEd. "Last year, approximately 70% of our customers experienced one or no outages during the course of the year. And when outages occur, ComEd is restoring power in less than half the time it took in 1998."

As part of its annual summer readiness update to the ICC, ComEd officials forecasted a 2006 peak summer load for the company's service territory of 23,100 MW. Of this, ComEd expects to supply 19,485 MW, with the rest supplied by others such as alternative retail electric suppliers. ComEd's all-time system peak of 22,054 MW was reached Aug. 21, 2003. One MW powers approximately 300 homes equipped with air conditioning and modern appliances.

ComEd has sufficient resources in place to meet the demand of its customers and fulfill its 15% reserve margin requirement under PJM. Electricity for ComEd customers is supplied through the larger PJM marketplace, which has an overall reserve margin of 25.8%. Reserves are required to address traditional marketplace uncertainties such as weather, economy and forced outages.

"Our participation in PJM allows our customers to share reserves over a wide area and to benefit from lower reserve costs," said Arlene Juracek, vice president of energy acquisition, ComEd. "Because PJM and ComEd peak at different times, we maintain more cost efficient reserves."

Since 2001, ComEd has invested roughly $3 billion to expand and upgrade its transmission and delivery system. That investment has resulted in a steady decrease in frequency and duration of outages. From 1998 through 2005, the number of outages has declined by 46%, while the length of outages dropped by 62%.

This year's $146 million in summer critical project investments include: a new substation to serve the Minooka-Channahon area, another substation to improve reliability in Lake County, and the addition of nine miles of new distribution lines in the Joliet and Shorewood areas. The company also has upgraded 3.5 miles of transmission line in the Oswego-Aurora area, and 4.8 miles of transmission line to serve the Rockford-Belvidere area. The remainder of the summer projects was spread across the entire ComEd service territory to improve reliability and keep up with capacity growth needs.

"Reliability is a top priority for ComEd because it is essential to our customers' quality of life and to the economic vitality of Northern Illinois," said Costello. "As demand for electricity grows, we are working year-round to enhance our distribution system and take advantage of new approaches that improve reliability."

The infrastructure improvement projects are part of ComEd's ongoing efforts to ensure reliable electricity delivery to the company's 3.7 million customers in northern Illinois. In addition, the company performs regular maintenance work to ensure reliable electricity, including vegetation maintenance to free electrical lines from interference with trees, system engineering to achieve optimal equipment operations, and regular visual and aerial inspections of above ground electrical lines. This year, the company has trimmed trees along 3700 miles of power lines.

Company officials also informed the ICC of progress ComEd has made to enhance its substation fire protection. ComEd has worked to minimize the risk of fire and damage caused by fires to help ensure the reliability of these critical facilities.

ComEd also is preparing for the summer storm season by completing priority maintenance items, rolling out summer safety plans, reviewing emergency operating plans and equipment, and conducting emergency response drills.